A POLICE force is planning to close almost half its stations, claiming the public prefer to contact them by phone...and in the future possibly by Twitter and Facebook.

Essex Police’s Twitter account played a key role in defusing speculation during the recent riots []

Essex Police yesterday announced a consultation on proposals to close 21 of its 46 front counters to save £2.5million a year.

Under the plans no station would be open 24 hours a day. The largest nine would be open from 8am to midnight and at 16 others front counters would operate from noon to 6pm from Monday to Saturday.

Chief constable Jim Barker-McCardle said his force’s least used station was visited once every two days. He said it reflected a changing culture in which the vast majority of the public prefer to contact officers over the phone and increasingly online.

Mr Barker-McCardle said: “Our research shows that 96 per cent of the public prefer to contact us over the phone. In terms of social media, my teenage daughter would cringe if she heard me trying to talk about tweeting and Facebook. But we have to be constantly alert to ways in which new technology can improve the way we communicate.”

Essex Police’s Twitter account played a key role in defusing speculation during the recent riots. Asked if he could see a time when crimes were reported through social networking sites, Mr Barker-McCardle said: “I have learnt during my career to never rule anything out.”

The force, which needs to cut £41million from its annual budget, will consider selling some stations. Others will be kept as police bases with emergency phones replacing front counters.

Mr Barker-McCardle said: “We will always be available on the end of the phone and have officers on the streets for those who want them.”

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